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Stoke Crime initiative attracts more members and visitors
Twenty-one Co-op stores across Stoke-on-Trent will be joining the city’s highly acclaimed Business Crime Partnership on Thursday 20th November. This follows a successful pilot of eight stores within the city. In the new year it is expected up to 40 stores will be participating in the partnership.
Co-operative loss prevention manager, Mark Woods said: "As a community-based retailer, The Co-operative works closely with police forces across the country to tackle problems of crime and anti-social behaviour. We very much welcome the opportunity to be part of this initiative which we firmly believe will strengthen relationships between local businesses, the community and Staffordshire Police and play a key role in the reduction of crime locally."
Julie Davies, business crime manager of Stoke on Trent Crime Initiative welcomes the participation of all the Co-op stores. "Businesses which tend to be away from town centre clusters are often targeted with incidents of anti-social behaviour as well as theft which not only affect the business, but also the staff and ultimately a knock on effect within the local communities. Stoke-on-Trent Crime Initiative is intelligence led but is also able to facilitate responses to real time incidents and participation in crime reduction initiatives".
Last week the Stoke-on-Trent Crime Initiative hosted a visit from Belfast, when police and local government representatives visited the city to looking at how the initiative is helping to reduce crime related to the night time economy.
Ch Supt. Jane Sawyers, divisional commander added “The Stoke-on-Trent Business Crime Initiative is one to the most successful business partnerships in the country. It is successful because it addresses the concerns of not only businesses and the police but the wider community. It’s fantastic that more and more businesses that serve the heart of our community are joining the scheme. This can only strengthen our work making it harder and harder for criminals to succeed.”
Businesses interested in joining the Business Crime Initiative should contact Julie Davies on 01785 233190.
30 July 2010